The buddy scheme
by Draco's Ravenclaw
Summary: The inter-house rivalry has gotten too bad so Dumbledore get's the fifth years to mentor the first years. What will Draco do, he's at the end of his tether.
1.

Disclaimer: This is not affiliated with JK or any of the good peeps who bring us the books. I ain't making money off this either, even if I wanted to :)  
  
"I can't seriously believe that they would make us do this," I gasped out. I read the notice again just to make sure it wasn't some horrible apparition.  
  
Buddy scheme:  
  
In light of recent tensions between the houses that have extended to physical bullying it has been decided that each fifth year pupil will be given a first year to mentor and spend an hour a day with. You will remain in the great hall after dinner tonight so that you can become acquainted with your pupil. Do not forget.  
  
Prof. McGonagall  
  
I was in shock. I had never gone so far as to make first years suffer and I couldn't think of anyone who would. I was also gripped with anxiety. I had never had extended close contact with young children, I was an only child. What was I going to do, what if mine was a terror. There were some new additions to the house that I didn't want to eat with let alone mentor.  
  
It was with those concerns playing through his head that Draco morosely whiled away the two hours between the end of lessons at four and dinner at six. Vince and Greg were absorbed in a game of snap, they didn't seem to realise that the goal was to avoid causing the pack to blow up, so every now and again Draco would lazily cast a jet of water to a singed patch of carpet and return to his essay. Finally he threw it down Greg was dancing round the low table trying to put out his sock. Realising that talking about his fears to those two was as good as talking to a brick wall He turned instead to the quiet and shy Blaise Zambini.  
  
"What am I gonna do?" Draco moaned rubbing his eyes vigorously. "I don't have time to deal with first years."  
  
"Well.......I don't think it will be that bad, there are house points in it for us" Blaise answered after a few moments consideration.  
  
"What if I get him though? I'd go spare with stress" Draco jerked his chin towards the opposite end of the common room where a young boy was currently placing the body bind on an extremely surprised fourth year who had refused to move out of the comfy chair.  
  
"Yeah well I am used to it, my little sister is a terror..... Ooof" Blaise was abruptly cut off as a shoe came flying straight at his face. He removed it gingerly and handed it back to the fourth year who came to grovel.  
  
The bell clanged somewhere in the distance and Draco stretched out with a sigh. "Oh well eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" he said grinning lopsidedly and ducked as another shoe came whizzing towards the fifth years. The Slytherins drifted slowly up to the Great Hall. Draco brought up the rear and sealed the common room. "Prefects always have the hard jobs," he muttered. "I am going to starve if this carries on all year."  
  
He was silent all the way through dinner and his friends became worried enough to enquire when he couldn't stomach the Belgian truffle. He'd normally have eaten three helpings of the stuff. "Not hungry" was his sullen reply. He scanned the hall dreamily; glancing over at the Gryffindors he was surprised to see Potter looking nervous to.  
  
"Well this is an occasion he's just as nervous as I am" Draco thought as the rest of the school began to meander out leaving only the first and fifth years present. The four heads of house stood behind Dumbledore who rose to his feet once the hall became silent.  
  
"It is well understood by all that Hogwarts has throughout it's history maintained a house system. This system was intended to give every student a sense of belonging in the school and to provide a basis for encouraging students to achieve."  
  
Dumbledore paused staring at the crowd of students with piercing blue eyes.   
  
"However, it has recently been brought to my attention that there are certain rivalries between houses that go beyond the friendly and into the realm of hatred. To discourage this tendency you will be paired with a student who is not of you own house so that ties will be made and trouble rooted out before it begins."  
  
There was a general muttering at this. People didn't want to acknowledge that they were prejudiced against other houses but they all realised that the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor had gone to far and that Ravenclaw considered anyone else beneath them and had been known to sneer at Hufflepuffs whom they considered slow witted and a nuisance.  
  
Dumbledore clapped his hands to regain their attention. "Please wait until your pairing is announced. After introductions you will proceed to the library where homework will be carried out."  
  
"Terry Boot, you are to mentor Helena Revesby" Terry shrugged and went over to one side with the small girl who had stumbled clumsily out of line.  
  
"Susan Bones, you are to mentor Peter Vardy"  
  
"Seamus Finnegan, you are to mentor Celeste LeNoir"  
  
Draco ceased paying serious attention after this. Everyone was slowly being paired off; and finally he was the only Slytherin left he looked at the remaining crowd of first years with growing apprehension.   
  
"Please not Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw but please not Gryffindor, I'll do anything, well not anything but...."  
  
"Draco Malfoy, you are to mentor Seraph Valrico"  
  
Lost in his own thoughts Draco did not hear and had to be prodded by Dean Thomas before he woke up and walked briskly to meet this Seraph trying in vain to ignore the sniggers from the Gryffindors behind him.  
  
He looked down at the small figure beside him. She had dark hair that framed her face and coal black eyes. She was quite pale and her hair only drew more attention to this.   
  
"Hello. Mr Draco...Sir" she said in a timid whisper of a voice.  
  
"Hello" sneered Draco, "Well introduce yourself, we don't have time to hang around."  
  
"I...I'm Seraph, I'm a G...Gryffindor" She stammered staring wide eyed at the towering fifth year.  
  
"Well you don't seem brave and true" he sniffed disdainfully. "Well come along, it's bad enough I'm stuck with a Gryffindor I don't want you to be lazy as well"  
  
He turned and began walking swiftly in the direction of the library. Seraph had to almost run to keep up with him. She chattered along in spite of his attempts to ignore her and put her down.  
  
"Well anyway I was really pleased when I got my letter, I'd only heard of witches in books before then and I...."  
  
Draco coughed and pulled up short. "Do you mean to tell me that you parents were not wizards?"  
  
"No" she said quietly her eyes going wide again at the look on Draco's face.  
  
He sneered at her with a look of revulsion and muttered something that sounded like "Mudbloods." They reached the library and Draco pulled his chair as far away as he could. "Draco..." she ventured. "Don't speak to me unless there is a Balisk behind me" came the abrupt reply. Seraph turned back to her potions wondering what she had done wrong.  
  
Alright I want a lil bit of feedback I need to know if ppl want this continuing. Come on you know that the review box is calling to you. :)  
  
  
  



	2. 

The Buddy scheme  
  
Hmm well Draco is being exceptionally mean isn't he. Grrr it pains me to write it cause I love him so much but it's necessary, anyway I won't say anything else with regards to the plot except to assure one reader that there will be no romance between Seraph and Draco....... I mean what do you take me for lol  
  
The situation didn't improve much over the next few days. After being rebuffed away from every attempt at conversation Seraph finally gave up and became withdrawn and silent during their time together. Draco was entirely happy with the way things were and even prided himself on managing the situation very well.  
  
He looked around the library with a smirk of satisfaction, everyone else was chattering and ignoring the work at hand. He and Seraph were the only ones who ever did much work. Longbottom had become a point of ridicule as each night his extremely bright little Ravenclaw helped him with his potions assignments. Potter had ended up with the shoe demon. That was funny. Right now the Boy that lived was trying in vain to stupefy a viperous sniket, a multi fanged ,multi legged creature that his buddy had proclaimed was "his pet".  
  
He turned back and looked at Seraph who was quietly working on her essay, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. "Mudblooded little twit" he thought scowling. He stood to fetch a book he needed for his rune translation. When he returned his parchment had been moved and one roll was missing.  
  
"Did you touch my parchment?" He growled.  
  
"I...needed some for...." Seraph trailed of miserably.  
  
"I don't care, you had no right to touch my things. I am going to have to throw it away now you've touched it you empty headed mudblood" The parchment didn't matter but Draco couldn't resist being cruel to the terrified first year. He carried on talking, enjoying the look of horror on her face. "I shall go to McGonagall about you, stealing will earn you a fair amount of detentions. Oh you're not going to cry are you?"  
  
Seraph's eyes were watering but she seemed to be trying to control it. She shook her head wordlessly.  
  
"Good because I would hate for you to be expelled for staining valuable books. Imagine if you had to go back to your slummy little Muggle dwelling. I suppose you have our whole family in one room, Grandma and Granddad over there, Mum and Dad in that corner" He smirked, expecting her to cower even more. He was taken aback when instead she dissolved into tears.  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean it you won't be expelled!" He said, a little alarmed as her sobs grew louder. That didn't help, she buried her head in her arms and cried. He stared around helplessly unsure of how to handle this. People were beginning to look over and Hermione suddenly appeared from behind. She threw Malfoy a poisonous look and sheparded Seraph to a far corner.  
Draco sat back down and continued with his work. He was absorbed in the third stanza of Tolkein's essays on the Quenya tongue. He'd just began translating a particularly obscure past tense when some one grabbed at his shoulder and twisted him painfully around.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?" He began to protest as the same person grabbed at his collar and hauled him to his feet.  
  
It took him a few seconds to register that it was Hermione who was manhandling him. Even when it had hit him he was to shocked to do anything. He just stood there with his mouth open. He'd never seen her look so angry.  
  
"You insensitive callous little snot" She hissed, her eyes blazing dangerously.   
  
He tried to look calm, "What is this about Granger?" He was most annoyed that the words sounded a little nervous.  
  
"You know what you've done don't even try and ignore it."  
  
He was genuinely baffled, "I am afraid I have no idea, maybe if you let go of my collar then I would be more receptive"  
  
She let go of his collar and he rubbed his throat gingerly. "Thank you, now would you care to explain that" he said gesturing to Seraph who was looking over at them with wide red eyes.  
  
Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously. "It is not a good thing Malfoy to go insulting a little girls grandparents on the same day that news of her Grandma's death has reached her."  
  
Her words gradually sunk in. "Oh" he said in a small voice.  
  
"Yes 'oh' I hope you are happy. You're pathetic bullying her like that" Hermione swept away and took Seraph over to sit with her and her buddy.  
  
Draco tried to carry on working but he felt a sickening flutter in his stomach. His chest also felt tight with stabbing guilt. How could he have been so awful. A spiteful little voice inside of him kept trying to persuade him that it was her fault for not telling him. Angrily he pushed aside those thoughts. It was his fault, if he's been nice to her then she'd have told him and he wouldn't have been in this mess. He wasn't used to this self examination and he felt rotten. What's more it brought back unpleasant memories of his own Grandmother's death when he was nine.  
  
Narcissa's mother was as different as could be from his parents. She had been a vigorously intellectual woman who never shielded him from the world. Unknown to his parents she had taken the young wizard to theme parks and Muggle places just to teach him how to have fun. She had always adamantly refused to obey Lucius' wish that his son be kept away from Muggles. When she had died he had cried for days and he now wanted to help Seraph through this and make up for being so awful.  
  
Sighing heavily he got up and went over to Hermione's table.   
  
"Chocolate Frog?" He said smiling lopsidedly, holding the sticky treat out to the little girl.  
  
Ohh now what???? has he seen the error of his ways, want to see Draco with little sister troubles, ok I will but I need ideas, review please look the box the box!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Something in common

Buddy III  
  
Hey I just found this lil gem and realised I should really carry on with it. I have just received a command to do so and here we gooooooooo!  
  
Seraph reached out uncertainly for the chocolate which was slowly melting in Draco's fingers. Hermione frowned but decided against interrupting Draco's latest efforts to clean up his own mess. Draco turned back towards the table in the corner of the library and nodded to Seraph to follow him.  
  
She still looked scared and timid. He felt annoyance cloud his face once more. This time he managed to keep his tongue civil.   
  
"I don't bite, come on." He sighed irritably. He felt the memory of his Grandmother's death more than ever and his attempt to cover it up had always been to be guarded.  
  
"Look, I am sorry, if I'd have known I wouldn't have....."   
  
"It's alright I'll be okay."  
  
Well that was taken with a better grace than he would have expected. Then again he was a Slytherin and Slytherins always made personal arguments more thorny than they had to be. He decided that he'd better back up his apology with more than a chocolate frog.  
  
"I know how you feel you know," he said quietly as they sat down, "I lost my Grandmother a few years ago. We were very...close."  
  
"My Grandma lived with us after Grandad died."  
  
Draco felt suddenly restless. He had another week to get this essay done and he couldn't really be bothered to carry on tonight. He leant back in his chair to see what Seraph was working on. Potions for stain removal, how simple.   
  
"Are you nearly done with that?"  
  
Seraph looked up, "what?"  
  
"The essay you're doing, are you nearly done?"  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"I've thought of something that might help cheer you up."  
  
She folded up her parchment and followed him at a semi jog across the Quidditch pitch.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Hagrid's hut," Draco replies smiling evilly, "come on hurry up."  
Ten minutes later they were running in the opposite direction. Seraph almost slipped but Draco grabbed her wrist and hauled her behind the trunk of a handy tree.   
  
"We can watch from here." He hissed quietly.  
  
Hagrid had emerged from his hut fairly quickly after Draco had sprinkled some growth potion on the lawn around it. The grass had sprouted up with alarming speed covering the diminutive dwelling. It looked like a particularly large giant had been hula dancing and had dropped the skirt casually when it was finished.  
  
"My HUT!" Yelled Hagrid as he fought his way through the strands of overgrown foliage.  
  
Draco loved every minute of it. "Shhh he's coming this way!" He flattened himself against the bark becoming practically invisible. Seraph followed suit and Hagrid passed them by without seeing either of them. When he'd gone Seraph began to breathe again.  
  
"That was a good trick, but poor Hagrid having to mow all that grass, it's got to be fifty feet long."  
  
"Oh you Gryffindors, you're such goody goody preachers. Have some fun once in a while."  
  
Seraph had to admit it was fun. "Are we going to go now?"  
  
"No, the best is yet to come. Wait till he comes back."  
  
Soon enough he did. Strolling behind him was Professor Snape. Draco grinned once more, he'd see the trick and appreciate the funny side.  
  
"An all the grass jus' grew down the chimney....fifty feet long, me hut is covered!"  
  
"Yes, well I will do what I can."  
  
"Five, four, three, two, one....Yes!" Seraph poked her head out and saw what made Draco look so triumphant. The grass was gone, well not gone just shrunk back to the way it was.  
  
Hagrid was staring at it in bewilderment. "But, but, but it was all there...all over the house..where'd it go?"  
  
"Perhaps you have overindulged in your love of strong liquor once more." Snape replied drily.  
  
"I don't understand, I haven't drunk a drop?"  
  
Draco saw Snape's eyes flash to the faint silver ring that explained the mystery. He also caught the faintest flash of humour.  
  
"I must be getting back to the school, let me know if anymore grass invades your chimney."  
  
Draco walked Seraph back up to the school and left her in the great hall. She did seem to have cheered up somewhat even if it did mean a waste of a good joke that he'd planned. Still there were other ones to look forward to. Greg would just have to get more ingredients for them. He turned off for the courtyard looking forward to some relaxation in the common room.  
  
He was musing over the evening when an anguished cry erupted across the courtyard. Harry Potter was jerking oddly across the rough stones, cartwheeling and twirling. His buddy had managed through some amazing feat to cast the puppeteer charm. Harry had no control over his limbs and was still performing the most impossible gymnastics.  
  
Draco stood there for a good five minutes shaking with silent laughter. Harry had so far imitated a Hippogriff, somersaulted the whole width of the courtyard and walked over to Blaise on his hands and subsequently offered his foot to him. Finally he flipped upright. His cloak fell back over his face blocking his vision. The first year terror made him walk around like a zombie for the next two minutes.  
  
Finally Draco decided that it would be best to come to Potter's aid. Not only could he humiliate him in the here and now but he could bring it up as defence against the never forgotten bouncing ferret incident. He drifted over casually and peered at Harry, who was still lurching around with his arms stuck out in front of him. Then he turned to the first year.  
  
"Finite Incantem," he drawled smiling languidly.   
  
Harry fell over backwards and sat down hard on the stone flags. His cloak was still flopped over his eyes. Leaning forwards slightly Draco pulled it off him. He looked straight into Harry's eyes, smirking triumphantly.  
  
"Finished Potter?"  
  
There were scattered giggles from the crowd of students gathered.  
  
"Shove off Malfoy!" Harry scowled.  
  
"Fine, next time you need rescuing from a first year don't bet on my help."  
  
He managed to keep a straight face as he walked away. Twice in one day, it wasn't that often that a day as funny as this came along. It wasn't until he reached his dormitory that he let himself go. He had always been warned against too much public emotion, in private well that was different. He laughed until he had to lie down from the stitch.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Well it was an average day really, I passed the Arithmancy test with 97%, of course I didn't come top, MB did. I had Quidditch Practice in the afternoon and PS let me off lessons. The main things really came in the evening. S lost her Grandmother and I went to far with the insults. She cried. I felt really bad after that so I apologised, with a chocolate frog. I spoke to her a little more in private. I shouldn't have been so quick to judge really. She would make a good Slytherin in some ways, though being a MB is a major problem. I am promising now to be nicer to her. Wasted an entire potion to make her laugh so I suppose that's a start. HA! You will never believe what I saw, Harry Potter humiliating himself in front of the whole school. I had to get him out of it. You cannot know how angry he was. Anyway I have two big scratch marks on my arm because of this blasted cat. Yes mother it's cute but it's also deadly. We have all decided to use our "contacts" to plan a little surprise at breakfast tomorrow for the staff. Hehehe won't say anymore now, I am wanted for a game of Snap so I will write more tomorrow.  
  
  
Draco.  
  
  
Seraph was sat by the fire in the Gryffindor common room absorbed in Hans Christian Anderson when Harry Potter burst in looking very red . Heads turned and there was a low muttering. She saw Harry mutter something to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Both of them looked as if they were trying not to smile. She listened harder. She picked up the words "Malfoy", "Buddy" and "Puppeteer Charm" then "Laughed at me". She made a mental note to ask him about it. She thought of what he'd said to her about his Grandmother and how he'd tried to cheer her up, although her idea of cheering up wasn't exactly his. He had tried and she was grateful.  
  
"Malfoy was almost nice this evening" Hermione's eyebrows were raised high on her forehead.   
  
"I could barely believe it, though I did have to choke him to achieve it."  
  
"He wasn't nice to me," muttered Harry, "he made a fool of me in front of half the school." 


End file.
